Well last night's game wasn't the exciting, 2-1 win last year over Manchester United, but the Wizards stayed undefeated against teams from the EPL, with a 0-0 draw against Newcastle United in what proved to be a bit of a boring game overall. There was no shot on goal until after Soony Saad's effort close to halfway through the second half. The heat and schedules for both teams certainly played a role in the way that the game turned out.
Early on KC had a shout for a penalty after Graham Zusi went down in the box after a shoulder challenge from behind, but the referee continued play. The first half as a whole saw plenty of chances that were well high and wide of the goal. The brightest part of the first half was the play of KC's new designated player, Jeferson. His touch and passing last night were fantastic, I'll wait until he's played against MLS competition in a game that actually counts, but my initial skepticism is starting to turn away. Of course I said the same thing after seeing some of the stuff Carlos Marinelli did in his first few games.
The second half saw Newcastle control more of the game as Sporting put on more reserves than they had in the first half. Still KC had their chances, some of the brightest offensive attacks in the second half came through Saad. He showed plenty of energy on the field and a willingness to take players on. His turn and shot for the first shot on goal of the game was very well taken by the teenager. Newcastle probably should have grabbed the lead with their lone shot on goal. A cross to the back side was met by an unmarked Danny Simpson, but he side footed his shot right at the feet of Eric Kronberg who easily collected the attempt. The final good attempt for either side came on a nice turn and strike by CJ Sapong, but Tim Krul in the Magpies net made the diving save, keeping the score 0-0. Nothing overly exciting, but you could tell both teams were playing with an eye towards their upcoming schedule.
WIZARDS Man of the Match - Jeferson - KC's new DP was a big bright spot for KC last night. Showed good touch, vision, and passing ability. Once he's had time to get onto the same page with Omar Bravo and the other forwards it should be fun to watch.
Honorable Mention - Soony Saad
I agree with your words about Saad and Jeferson; both were fun to watch. Soony was in the right place at the right time several times. Would have been nice to see him (and CJ) connect with the goal.
ReplyDeleteWondering how Jeferson's control in the center will be used when Davy comes back.
Thought Cyrus looked good as well. Seeing 3 "new" players was really the highlight of the night for me. Great save by Kronberg on one which was deemed offside
ReplyDeleteNo one seems to notice that we play better defensively and offensively when Seth Sinovic is on the field. He is much more dynamic and solid than Harrington is on the left. And man can he sky. He outjumped one of Newcastle's big men for a header at one point.
ReplyDeleteI don't know who this Peterson Joseph is but he looked nice as well — very active.
Lots of good points from a so-called boring game. Hey, I knew it was a friendly, so I wasn't bored at all.
Sinovic's defense seems to be pretty solid, but his passing on offense has been very poor at times. He was particularly dreadful in the game at Philadelphia. Hopefully he is improving on that front--I have no complaints about his performance last night.
ReplyDeleteI went to the stadium primarily just hoping to see Jeferson, Saad, and Cyrus in action, and my wish was granted. The bonus was that all three looked pretty good! My guess is that when Arnaud comes back, he will take over the box-to-box role that currently belongs to Espinoza.
I thought last night was great despite there being no goals. I'm pumped for Jeferson to start playing in meaningful games and Saad seems to have a lot of promise. I think we have a great crop of young guys coming up.
ReplyDeleteI've been a huge fan of Sinovic since he started playing here. Doesn't he have a good shot of taking over LB? I was under the impression he had it over Harrington until he picked up an injury in practice a few weeks ago. I wouldn't mind seeing him in the starting line up again. He plays with so much heart